Never Had the Heart
by Sassy Aloo
Summary: Not even to say goodbye. JediEmpress' challenge.


**Warnings:** Angst.

**Pairings:** However you want to take it.

**Sassy's Note:** Jedi's challenge, which was given with the prompts Zack, Sephiroth, past and present. This was my first time writing Sephiroth. I hope I did him justice.

**Never Had the Heart**

Zack heaved his Buster over his shoulder to make the steep incline a bit easier to conquer. He was breathing heavily from his mad dash, and he was reaching his limit, but he had been a First Class, damn it, and he _had _to reach his goal.

Finally, the ground beneath his feet leveled off, and Zack threw himself forward. The figure of a man taller than he regarded him passively. "Zackary Fair," he said, his tone flat. "How interesting to see you here."

Zack's hand tightened on the hilt of the Buster Sword, and he glared into the cold mako eyes of the former General, his former friend.

"Sephiroth," he growled. "Stop this now! There's no point in this!"

"Careful, Zack, or you'll get caught in the crossfire," said Sephiroth completely indifferently.

"You can't hurt me. You know that."

"A perk of playing for the good team, yes?"

Zack chose to ignore the implications of that statement. "Seph, you know you don't want to do this."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're more than just the darkness you've been lost in."

"You like to think that, Zackary."

"You are! Seph, what happened to you, man? You're not the Sephiroth you were."

Sephiroth did not answer immediately. He chose rather to stare off into the distance, across the jagged cliffs and canyons of the land. It was a while, but Zack finally heard his deep voice mutter, "Mother happened."

"Mother," Zack repeated. It took him a moment, but he remembered. "Jenova… so she _is_ still hanging around in your head."

"No."

"What?"

"Mother left me when our world was destroyed." It was Sephiroth's casual tone of voice that unnerved Zack the most in the moments following this pronouncement.

"Seph… what… then _why_!?"

"Because this is the way it has to happen."

"No! It's not!"

"Yes it is, Zack. I cannot atone for anything I've done. I can only see my path through to the end. Only there will I find peace."

"How can you find peace in nothing but destruction!?"

"Because it's what I was created to do."

Zack knew that was true, knew it was all Sephiroth had been raised to know, but that didn't mean that he didn't have free will now. Zack wasn't going to give up without a fight, not when people he loved were involved.

"Sephiroth… don't do this," he reasoned, slowly reattaching the Buster to his back. "No matter who wins, something will be lost. Don't fight him."

"Cloud is the only one who can release me." The man's voice was low. His eyes trailed across the winding path leading from town to where they were. "He'll be here soon."

"I'll stop him! We can work this out, Seph, please!"

"I'm sorry, Zack."

"One of you is going to die!"

"I know that, Zack."

"Stop mocking me," Zack snarled, flexing his fists and grinding his teeth. He wished he knew how to make Sephiroth reconsider. "Riku can't live without _both_ of you."

He didn't miss the pain that flashed in the General's eyes for a brief second before resettling as passive as ever.

"He'll move on."

"So you're willing to put him through this?" the black-haired man asked, crossing his arms, face stony.

"I told you. I have no choice. This is where my path has led me."

The two were silent for awhile. The sun was high in the sky with no clouds in sight. Odd, that today should be so bright, Zack thought. The heavens wept when he died. How would they react when _this_ fight was over?

"Did you ever tell him?" Zack asked softly, though he knew already knew the answer.

"No."

"You spent all that time with him and never brought it up?"

"It's better that he doesn't know."

"Does Cloud know?"

"He suspects it, but he does not know for sure."

"You should at least tell Riku."

"It's better that he doesn't know. He was raised on Destiny Islands. Let him believe he was born there as well. It is less pain for him in the end."

The black-haired man gave Sephiroth a hard look. "You shouldn't keep this from him, Seph, he's your-"

"That is the past," Sephiroth raised his voice and effectively silenced his longtime friend. "It does not matter. At present, I'm only concerned with keeping him safe and doing what I must do."

"See," Zack pleaded, offering a small smile. "That's the man Cloud _can__'t_ defeat because he's too _human_. You care Seph; I know you do. You can stop this pointless battle with Cloud right now and never have to fight him again."

"He would never forgive me for what I've done and for who I am."

"Probably not, but he doesn't have to! You can still live!" Zack was getting desperate; time was running out. "Please, Sephiroth!"

"… I'm sorry."

Zack let loose a roar of frustration and emotion. His hands fisted in his thick raven locks. He knew he couldn't stop it now. Sephiroth was determined, and Cloud was bound to be on his way to the battlefield, and even though he hated to admit it, he _knew_ Sephiroth had to do this too.

It didn't mean he had to like or agree with it.

It took a few minutes for the First Class to calm down. He took a few deep breaths of the sweet air and straightened up, staring at the General's back. As he watched, the black wing slowly extended from his shoulder blade. The feathers rustled as the wing was adjusted for comfort and its owner turned.

"He's coming," said Sephiroth, eyes fixed a point far behind Zack. The black-haired man didn't have to look to know he was watching Cloud descending the cliff to the designated battleground.

"I guess… this is goodbye then." He tried to ignore the way his chest contracted uncomfortably at his own words.

"Possibly." Sephiroth's gaze met his. "Are you back from the Lifestream to stay?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah."

"Then… yes, this is goodbye."

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Zack chewed on his lower lip, trying to keep his emotions in check. He knew he should leave before Cloud saw him here, but he couldn't bring himself to move, not if this could possibly be the last time he ever saw Sephiroth outside of the Lifestream.

"You're going to stay in Radiant Garden?" Sephiroth asked suddenly.

"Yeah… I guess I am."

"Then…" Sephiroth trailed off, as if searching for his words. "Then tell Riku I'm sorry. No matter what the outcome."

Zack nodded, breath caught in his chest.

"Now go! He's almost here."

He nodded again and turned away from his friend. There was Cloud, heaving his oversized sword in a proud traipse to the battle site. He had to get back to town. Zack ran back the way he had come, not pausing to turn around or look back or even say a final farewell to his old friend.

He knew how their fight would end.

-end-

**Sassy:** This one took over my entire mind today. Seriously, I couldn't write on anything else.

Anyway, so there completes Jedi's challenge. I had two ideas fighting each other, but this one won out. It was the… lesser of the two evils, you might say.


End file.
